Lost files after system crash

Apparently my iBook's battery is getting it's last breaths. My iBook no longer goes to sleep when the battery is low but instead it shuts down. After the last time that happened I noticed a directory in my home has become empty. I mean:
% ls -la .foo/
returns nothing as opposed to at least the listing of . and .. Also if I try to ls a file that used to be there I get:
%ls .foo/file
ls: .foo/file: Input/output error
Disk Utility said that disk passed tests. What might be happening?
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.2) about 18 months old

1. You wrote: "DiskWarrior and Tech Tool cost a lot of money."Whether they cost "a lot" is relative. Compared to how much time you'll spend correcting the problem without them, they're dirt cheap. If you can only buy one, buy DiskWarrior, which specializes in directory repair.
In some ways, you're lucky to have a PowerPC-based Mac: DiskWarrior is not yet available for Intel-based Macs.
2. You wrote: "I just need to correct the file system. Disk Utility does not seem to be able to handle it."Then your options are (a) buy one of the utilities above or (b) reformat the drive. Disk Utility can fix minor directory errors, but the problem you reported is a severe directory corruption issue.
3. You wrote: "Should just reinstall Tiger?"Not without first correcting the directory corruption, otherwise a basic reinstall — an Archive and Install — may overwrite your data or third-party application files. Depending on how long the directory has been corrupt and how you're performing backups, it's possible some of your backups may also be corrupt, e.g. some of the files corrupted — partially or fully overwritten — due to the directory corruption on your Mac.
4. You wrote: "If so, my trust on OS X collapses, because regular reinstall in problem situation is what the Windos people do. That should not happen here now should it."Reinstalling the OS is usually one of the last resorts in troubleshooting Mac OS X.
There are a variety of causes for directory corruption such as you are seeing. Many are preventable: see my "Data corruption and loss: causes and avoidance" FAQ for a discussion on this subject.
Bottom line is you either buy a third-party disk repair utility, such as those cited above, or wipe the drive and reinstall. Your call.
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X
Note: The information provided in the link(s) above is freely available. However, because I own The X Lab™, a commercial Web site to which some of these links point, the Apple Discussions Terms of Use require I include the following disclosure statement with this post:
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

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Hello Everyone,
I did a system recovery, using a backup from last year. However, I lost all saved files since that last backup, including some VERY IMPORTANT family pictures. Is there anything that I can do to get those files back? Please help me guys, I am so torn right now and it's tearing me apart. Thank you so much for any help.

Hi,
I have to agree with "lead_org", as the restore process might have left some "unrestored", but in the same time hidden part. So really in this situation, please try to use some "restore" tool, that will enable you to view "deleted" files.
Not really good news, I do understand it.
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Locating corrupt files after system crash

I´ve got the spinning ball fom H after a program got stuck. I managed to stop the program, but I had to hard-restart the Powerbook by holding the power switch down. This have happened before and have ended with corrupted files taking way to much space.
I have now deleted all program related files using spotlight, but this time there is one or more files which have "stolen" 20Gb from my HD.
Is there any easy way to locate this/these files to make my Powerbook "healty" again? I´ve got the message to clean up more space on my HD (have just 300Mb left).
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When making a clone with Carbon Copy Cloner, if there is any part that is incomplete, a left over large file from the /Volumes/ directory may get stuck there filling your hard drive. Check with Bombich's website how to remove it.
Regardless of which backup program you have, since you have a clone, I would shut down the machine, and disconnect the clone. Boot off the installer CD that came with the Mac, or newer retail CD, and repair the directory:
http://www.macmaps.com/directoryfaq.html
In addition, you can free some space using http://monolingual.sourceforge.net/ (be careful not to remove any of the Latin languages). I would burn to CD and DVD once you have enough space to do any extra data files you don't use frequently. If you use all of it frequently, you will want to upgrade your hard drive to a bigger hard drive.
Disclaimer: Reference to links I make to my Macmaps.com website are a for your information only type reference. I do not get any profit from this page, and it is open to the public.

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2. *TechTool Pro* is an excellent suite of fixits - directory, files, defrag, and some hardware tests. It also has a wonder feature, the eDrive. This is a small (10GB) bootable partition on your boot drive which has, among other things, TTP on it. If your main boot partition has a problem, you can boot from here and usually fix things. AFAIC, it's an absolute must on a laptop which you take on trips, far from your collection of fixit disks. You can also put DW on this partition, so you have everything you need right at your fingertips.
3. *Drive Genius* is a relative new-comer, also a good suite of fixits, and, I believe, does backups, too.
I have 1 and 2, and that has saved me from catastrophe more than once. 1 and 3 would probably be good, too. (You ought to have more than one of these serious apps because one can sometimes fix something another can't - different proprietary algorithms.)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It’s the questions that drive us.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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